


we are (again and again and again)

by SilverMoonSky



Series: ML Oneshots [75]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Feelings Realization, Identity Reveal, Kagami Tsurugi Knows, Luka Couffaine Knows, Minor Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Minor Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Not exactly fluff but not really angst either haha, just confusion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-11
Updated: 2021-01-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 03:06:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28681566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverMoonSky/pseuds/SilverMoonSky
Summary: “Where else could they be going?” Kagami asked. “I think it’s more than a coincidence that the two of them disappeared while we both had planned dates.”“Yeah," Luka said, "but I can’t imagine either of them. . . .”Cheating.---Or, in which Kagami and Luka discuss some things, leading to some revelations.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Kagami Tsurugi, Luka Couffaine/Kagami Tsurugi, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: ML Oneshots [75]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1643566
Comments: 18
Kudos: 117





	we are (again and again and again)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sd1970x](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sd1970x/gifts).



> For SD! This is an old WIP that I had originally abandoned, so if the writing style seems a lot different than the writing style in my recent works, that's because it is pretty old :P I hope you all enjoy! <3

He was fidgeting again.

Unconsciously, it was a gesture Kagami had come to associate with departure. Every time her boyfriend anxiously bounced his leg or fiddled with his fingers, she knew he was nervous about _something._ Of course, she had absolutely no idea what had him so tensed up. But seeing what had happened the last couple of times Adrien had done this, she knew it could only mean one thing.

Kagami let out a sigh. “What is it _this_ time, Adrien?”

Adrien jumped, as if the question had startled him. He glanced at her with guilt in his eyes. “I um, have to go,” he said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. “I left my wallet at home.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Kagami stared at the line in front of them. It wasn’t long; by the time Adrien went home to get his wallet, they would have already gotten André’s ice cream and had the chance to finish it. “I can pay.”

“N-no, I really, uh, have to go get it.”

“Adrien,” she repeated, “I can pay.”

His fidgeting suddenly seemed to get worse. Adrien’s expression was panicked as he glanced towards the edge of the Pont des Arts. “I’ll be back soon, I promise. It won’t take—oh! I have an idea!” He slowly started backing away from her, making animated gestures. “You wait in line and grab us some ice cream, and I’ll go get my wallet so I can pay you back.”

“Adrien—”

“I’ll be back soon!” he yelled over his shoulder as he started running away from André’s cart. The rest of the customers watched him go, bewildered, but none of them were as baffled as Kagami. She narrowed her eyes in his direction.

What a surprise. He’d run off _again._

She really shouldn’t have expected anything different, though. Adrien was always doing this; she knew he was never trying to intentionally hurt her, but every time he ran off during one of their dates, she couldn’t help but think that she’d done something wrong. Was she not a good girlfriend? Did Adrien not like their relationship?

Kagami _knew_ she was his second choice—that much had been clear when they’d started dating several months ago—but would it really hurt him to put more effort into spending time with her?

She’d never admit it, but everytime he ran off, it _hurt._ What was so important that he always had to keep running off? His excuses were getting worse and worse. She hadn’t told him she’d noticed, but it was only a matter of time before she finally snapped and confronted him about it.

Only. . . . she didn’t _want_ to. She was torn between two sides. Kagami had never been one to toe between two fine lines; she’d always been decisive. She never liked to hesitate, but if finding out what Adrien was doing would mean their relationship would end. . . . could she really confront him and actually manage to salvage their relationship?

It was the only thing that prevented her from breaking things off. Because each and every time this happened, Kagami would remind herself why she loved Adrien in the first place, and she’d instantly stop the thought. Even if it ate her up inside.

Hesitation had always been something she despised. Yet here she was, hesitating to confront her boyfriend about something that was clearly an issue.

Lost in her thoughts, Kagami didn’t realize she was at the front of the line now. It was only when André began speaking that she looked up.

“Kagami, how delightful to see you again.” André smiled, but it faltered when he saw she was alone. “Where’s that boy of yours?”

“He had to leave.”

“Oh, what a shame.” He shrugged and began scooping ice cream from his cart. “Do not worry, my dear, your love will not go into flames! Blue sea salt, pink lemonade, and a touch of vanilla will solve all your problems.”

Kagami frowned. “Wait, but my normal order—”

“Ah.” André’s eyes glinted as if he knew something she didn’t. “Orders change throughout time. This is what your heart seeks at the moment, my dear.”

Kagami opened her mouth, ready to say something else, but André had already passed the ice cream to her and was gesturing for the next customer. She sighed for what felt like the hundredth time in the past hour; it just seemed like no one was bothering to listen to her that day.

After dropping some euros into the glass jar at the edge of the cart, Kagami walked away from the cart and off the Pont des Arts. She and Adrien had originally wanted to get ice cream and sit at the edge of the Seine—just like they had before they officially got together—but it didn’t seem like _that_ was happening anytime soon. Instead she sat down alone, letting her feet dangle off the edge as she stared at her ice cream.

This was far from her normal order. Her normal order was usually somewhere along the lines of orange and peppermint, yet this. . . . this was entirely different. André had said something about her heart seeking these particular flavors instead. But why? Exactly what had changed?

At that moment, her phone buzzed. Kagami frowned. She picked it up to see an akuma alert. It was not far from where she currently was—in fact, it was at the Louvre. She and Adrien had passed the place earlier when they were being driven to the Pont des Arts.

_Hopefully he didn’t run into any trouble._

Somehow, she’d already figured Adrien hadn’t been going to get his wallet; if that had been the case, he would’ve ran towards the car, not in the opposite direction.

It was obvious he’d gone somewhere else. But the only question was. . . . _where._

_Legend says that whoever shares André’s ice cream together will be in love forever._

Kagami wanted to scoff. Obviously that legend was far from the truth, if she and Adrien were anything to go by. Because the more she thought about it. . . . did he even love her? Did he even care about their relationship? Or was he simply pretending to be invested so he didn’t hurt her feelings?

Well, if it was the latter, he was certainly doing an excellent job at it.

She took a lick of her ice cream and immediately winced at the flavor. It was an interesting combo, to say the least—she definitely wouldn’t ever pick on her own. She was just about to take another lick when she heard a voice talking not far from where she was sitting.

“—can’t come? But I thought—oh, something came up? I’m sorry, Marinette. We can do it later. No, I’m not mad, I just. . . . yeah, talk to you soon. Love you too.”

Kagami looked up to see Luka, Marinette’s boyfriend, standing several feet away from her. Luka seemed frustrated for some reason. As usual, his guitar was strapped to his back—however, instead of taking it out and trying to work out his emotions the way he usually did, he didn’t. He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a long sigh as he looked down at his phone. He pocketed it, and was about to turn in the other direction when he saw Kagami sitting there.

“Oh,” he said, surprised. “Sorry. I didn’t see you there.”

Kagami gave him a stiff nod in greeting. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” she said, “but were you on the phone with Marinette?”

Judging by what she’d heard, pieces of a puzzle were starting to come together in her head. She didn’t want to admit it to herself, and yet. . . .

Luka frowned, as if wondering why she was so curious, but nodded. “Yeah. We were going to go on a date, but she had something come up last minute.”

Kagami’s eyes widened. She looked down at her ice cream. “What a coincidence. Adrien and I are supposed to be on a date too.”

“Oh. Where is he, then?”

“He ran off.”

The implication of what she’d said hung heavy in the air. Kagami took another lick of her ice cream—much to her distaste, the flavor hadn’t gotten any more bearable.

Luka let out another sigh. He was clearly agitated, pacing back and forth and fiddling with something in his hand. Kagami watched him with narrowed eyes. She’d never seen him like this before.

“You seem troubled.”

Luka shrugged helplessly. He continued to fidget with the thing in his hand—at closer inspection, she realized it was a guitar pick. He said nothing. Silence stretched between them as Kagami began to grow restless. The longer she thought about it, the more she couldn’t deny it any longer; _something_ had been off about her relationship with Adrien from the start. With Luka having similar problems, it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.

Unable to keep it to herself, she asked bluntly, “do you think they’re hanging out with each other?”

Luka stopped fiddling with his guitar pick and looked down at her with a frown. “I don’t know.”

“Where else could they be going?” Kagami asked. “I think it’s more than a coincidence that the two of them disappeared while we both had planned dates.”

“Yeah, but I can’t imagine either of them. . . .”

_Cheating._

The unspoken word shot a pang through her heart. Kagami hastily swallowed, suddenly feeling emotion after emotion surge through her. She felt annoyed. She felt bitter she wasn’t good enough, irritated that Adrien and Marinette were doing this to them, angry that they couldn’t just be honest. But worst of all?

Worst of all was the pure, raw _hurt._

Kagami thought they cared about her and Luka.

So how could they even _think_ of hurting them like this?

“Mind if I sit beside you?” Luka suddenly asked.

“No.”

She was surprised to find she actually meant it. Perhaps Luka was the only person that would actually understand her concerns. After all, they both had the same suspicions; there was no reason for them _not_ to.

He sat down beside her. “Sorry,” he said, still fidgeting with his guitar pick. He leaned over and removed his guitar from where it was strapped on his back, taking it out of its case. “I’m not usually good at talking without my guitar, so. . . .”

“Where were you and Marinette going to go?”

“To the ice rink,” he said. “I just got out of the houseboat and was walking towards the bakery when she called.”

Kagami hummed, acknowledging what he’d said. “Adrien and I were getting ice cream when he ran off.”

“Did he say where he was going?”

“He said he was going to get his wallet. But he ran in the opposite direction.”

“Oh.”

Kagami took another lick of her ice cream while Luka fidgeted with his guitar. The flavor was slowly growing on her, but it didn’t stop the disquieted thoughts from running through her head.

She just couldn’t wrap her head around it. For some reason, Adrien had stopped pursuing Marinette and had given Kagami a chance. Meanwhile, Marinette had given up on her feelings for Adrien and started dating Luka several months later. But why would the two of them do that when it was obvious they had feelings for one another?

Perhaps it was because neither of them had actually moved on. Maybe Marinette had finally confessed, or Adrien had finally realized he was being an idiot and that his classmate wasn’t “just a friend.”

Or maybe, she was just overthinking this. Perhaps Adrien really _had_ gone to get his wallet and Marinette really _did_ have something come up—

“Your song’s off balance,” Luka said suddenly.

Kagami looked up at him sharply. “What?”

“Your heart song.” He strummed a chord. Kagami instantly winced at the dissonant sound. “There’s something off about it.”

“Well, yeah.” She scoffed. “My boyfriend’s cheating on me with your girlfriend.”

“Do you really believe that?” Luka asked softly.

She was silent. Kagami didn’t _want_ to believe it; she couldn’t believe Adrien would ever hurt her like that. She didn’t think Marinette was capable of hurting Luka either. There was something that wasn’t quite adding up. . . . but what?

“I don’t know.”

Luka simply hummed, letting his fingers slide across the string as he slowly began playing a couple of notes. The melody started off strongly, with a single chord that sent a shiver down her spine. From there he started playing notes that slowly turned into riffs, repeating over and over again as the music transcended through the air. It was unlike anything Kagami had ever heard before. The melody itself was a strong, independent sound; there was no need for a harmony to accompany it, and yet there was something. . . . _off_ about it.

She couldn’t place it. Underneath the powerful melody, there were just a few notes that felt out of place. At first they were unnoticeable, but when she listened closely enough. . . .

Needless to say, Kagami was breathless by the end of it. She’d never resonated with a tune as well as she had with this one. To her, it was obvious what Luka was trying to say: there was something missing.

“Your song,” Kagami asked, “is it like mine?”

“It’s similar,” he said as he started a different tune.

As he played, she felt it; there was something missing from both of their tunes, something they both should’ve known. . . . but didn’t.

The question was, what?

Kagami suddenly heard a _bang_ come from somewhere, and something flew past them and right into the Seine. She gasped, looking up to see something—or more accurately, _someone_ —having been thrown right into the Seine. A pair of cat ears instantly emerged from the water, spluttering and shaking out the water. He started swimming towards the edge of the Seine, and stopped when he saw the two of them sitting there.

“Hey there,” Chat said, getting out of the water and giving them his two-fingered salute. He flashed a grin at them. “Lovely day, isn’t it?”

“Chat Noir, get back over here!” a voice yelled. Kagami’s head whipped around to see Ladybug standing at the top of the Pont des Arts, her yo-yo held tightly in her arm as she used it to wrap around Chat and pull him towards her. He yelped as he flew across the air and tumbled into her. Ladybug just barely managed to catch him in her arms bridal-style before the two of them launched away.

Kagami narrowed her eyes. That whole encounter had been weird, to say the least. She turned back towards Luka to see his eyes widened as well, watching the superheroes as they left. Suddenly his hand started moving of its own accord along his guitar, playing a harmony she wasn’t quite sure she’d heard before.

Luka’s eyes suddenly widened. “Oh,” he breathed, as the melody continued to rise up and down.

“What?”

He said nothing, continuing to play. This was unlike what he’d played for her earlier; unlike her heart song, this seemed complete. It was familiar, and yet. . . .

“Whose song is that?” Kagami asked quietly.

Luka nodded towards the direction the two superheroes had taken off, and suddenly, she understood.

_Oh._

In an instant, everything seemed to make a lot more sense to her.

Soon enough, the Miraculous cure swept through the air. Kagami looked at Luka, who gave her a similar look back. His playing slowly ceased.

Kagami stood, her ice cream long finished. She had to admit, the flavor had grown on her. It had been interesting to try a new flavor, but now that she knew what she knew. . . . could she really go back to the one from before? Or perhaps stick to the new one?

“It was nice talking to you, Luka,” she said.

He smiled. “It was nice spending time with you too, Kagami. I hope you’ll find your balance soon.”

“Yeah,” she said, smiling back at him. “I think now, I will be able to. I hope you will too.”

And, with that new revelation, Kagami walked off.

It was time to have a long talk with her boyfriend.

**Author's Note:**

> Join the [Miraculous Fanworks Discord Server](https://discord.gg/mlfanworks) if you’re a writer, reader, or artist! It’s a lovely community filled with even lovelier people <3


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